Glossary

Allergy – a condition in which the body has an exaggerated response to a foreign substance; the response differs from person to person in its manifestation and magnitude of effect

Avian specialist – a veterinarian whose specialty is birds

Aviary bird – a bird held in captivity but is kept in a very large enclosure and is rarely handled by people

Beaking – what a parrot or any bird does to explore an object or thing it is interested in; oftentimes beaking is mistaken by people as biting

Bird fancier’s lung – an allergic disease called hypersensitivity pneumonitis that develops in a small portion of bird owners. There may be few if any symptoms in its early stages. It can develop into a chronic or recurrent disease. One cause of the disease is thought to be the inhalation of dried bird droppings (Ohtani, 2000)

Fear aggression – aggressive behavior such as biting exhibited by birds or any other animal brought about by something event or thing that has frightened it

HEPA filter - A High Efficiency Particulate Air filter that can be used with a vacuum cleaner to decrease exposure to dust and animal dander; removes 99.97% of all particles in the air down to a size of tenths of a micrometer.

Imitative speech – the type of speech parrots learn wherein they repeat a word or words their trainer says

Learned aggression – aggressive behavior such as biting exhibited by birds or any other animal to get illicit a desired and expected response

Parrot – any of the many birds belonging to the family Psittacidae; usually brightly colored tropical birds with short hooked beaks and an uncanny ability of mimicking sounds

Parrot fever – a disease that humans and animals like cats and sheep can catch from birds; the disease is caused by a bacterium called Chlamydia psittici; it can be fatal with 15-20% of those who contract the disease and don’t get treatment dying

Pet bird – a bird that interacts closely with people on a daily basis

Psittacosis – see Parrot fever

Responsive speech – the type of speech parrots learn wherein they are able to give a proper answer to their trainer’s question; answers are canned and not a result of the parrot’s reasoning abilities

Speech training – training that aims to teach a parrot to talk or utter words or phrases

Territorial aggression – aggressive behavior such as biting exhibited by birds or any other animal when a person or another animal comes too close for comfort or “invades” it territory

Training Aids – anything that can help a trainer to more easily teach an animal to exhibit a desired behavior or a new trick; training aids can be used by the trainer during training or can be used by the animal prior to training in order to calm it down and keep it happy and more receptive to training

Trick training – form of training that aims to teach a parrot certain tricks; trick training is also used as a tool for behavioral modification

Zoonosis – a disease transmitted from an animal to a human being; plural - zoonoses